They cause some of the most deadly and the most baffling types of car accidents: wrong-way drivers. San Antonio’s County, Bexar County, has one of the highest rates of wrong-way car accidents in the state of Texas. More often than not, the drivers causing these accidents are intoxicated – sometimes with a blood alcohol level as high as three times the legal limit.

SmartSensor HD

Because of these surprisingly common auto accidents, a new form of detecting wrong way drivers has been put into place. Within its first 14 months of use, this system decreased the number of reported wrong-way driving by almost a third. So what is this system, exactly?

The system is quite complex and utilizes SmartSensor HD to help detect cars driving in the wrong direction. This type of technology is not commonly used for other kinds of car accidents. It is reserved for wrong-way driving accidents, because, while they only make up about three percent of all US freeway car accidents, they are 27 times deadlier than an average high-speed accident. Therefore, they deserve the extra effort and attention to prevent them as much as possible.

San Antonio Wrong Way Driver Task Force

There now exists a task force called the San Antonio Wrong Way Driver Task Force that addresses these accidents. This task force uses resources at hand to figure out where most of the problems in the San Antonio area are coming from. They discovered something very interesting: a strip of about 15 miles on US 281 with the highest rate of this type of car accident.

It was on this 15-mile stretch that new projects began popping up in hopes of slowing down the rate of wrong-way driving accidents. The SmartSensor HD technology, along with flashing lights and warning signs telling offenders that they’re going the wrong way, can be found there. Dopper detection is also used, mainly for the exit ramps of the freeway. But, of course, the SmartSensor HD is the cream of the crop. It detects wrong way drivers and activates certain responses, such as the signs with LED messages on them, as well as communicating to the authorities that there is a wrong way driver in their midst. It is believed to be working since the rate of car accidents has dropped by around 30%.

Future Plans

Are the changes here to stay? Assuming the observations in the accident rate decrease is indeed a direct result of the new implementations, TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) will decide whether or not to include some or all of this technology in other Texas counties. It could mean reducing the statewide wrong-way driving accidents.

What if it happens to you?

If you or a loved one is involved in a wrong-way driving accident, make sure to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. One of our experienced San Antonio car accident attorneys can certainly help you with the whole process. Compensatory damages and maybe punitive damages could result from the lawsuit, and we can assist in getting to the bottom of why the car accident happened in the first place. If the other person in the accident was driving the wrong way, they were certainly at fault. Feel free to contact one of VB Law Groups car accident attorneys with any questions you may have regrading a recent accident you were involved in.